As I started out on a run recently, my five year old said, “Mom, you have to do your run so that you can get your energy out, right?” My first thought was, not surprisingly, the relationship to exercise from a Traditional Chinese Medicine perspective: I need to get my Qi moving, whereas when I let my kids run around wild, they need to move the excessive amount of Qi that is building up in their little bodies.
Here are three reasons to exercise, and why they make sense according to Traditional Chinese Medicine theory:
Exercise Relieves "Stagnation"
Stagnation is a powerful concept in Chinese Medicine, and I think the best comparison I’ve heard is how we feel when we’re in traffic. Is there anything more draining than sitting in a traffic jam? Or how about that feeling when you’ve been stuck on a plane for several hours… you just need to move!
There’s a physiological response to stagnation - your back starts to ache, your legs might get restless, your mind starts to get anxious.
Our bodies were meant to move, and because we can’t move, we feel trapped. Stagnation manifests itself in heat. When we are finally able to move, that stagnation is released in the form of heat - we literally feel cooler. So much of our lives are spent sitting - sitting in cars, sitting at desks, sitting in meetings.
We’re starting to realize the impact that all of this sitting is having on our bodies. Now that so many of us are working from home, I've venture to guess that we're sitting more than ever. Exercise is the best way to counteract all of that physical stagnation. If heat starts to build up in the body, you may feel yourself getting frustrated or irritated easier than usual. (Emotional Balance is also a great option, if you can't get out for a walk between Zoom meetings!)
Replenish Qi
Giving too much of our Qi to our busy lives without taking the time to replace it causes "deficiency". This can manifest itself in a number of ways, including anxiousness, sleeplessness, frequent headaches, high tension in the neck and shoulders, irritability, and even frequent hiccups.
Slow, mindful, low impact movements and a focus on breath and posture helps to replenish the Qi - meanwhile offering many practices that you can bring into everyday life with work and family.
Practice Connecting the Mind, Body, & Spirit
Applying the basic practices you use in exercise can have a profound impact in your daily work and family lives. Breathing through challenges, challenging your body, practicing mind over matter - the parallels to everyday life are endless. Mindfully incorporating these into your exercise is practice for the stress of every day life. These practices can serve you during the other 23 hours of the day - not just for the 60 minutes you exercise.
Get Back Into the Flow
If your body needs a little bit of help recovering from your new workout routine, Chinese herbal medicine to the rescue. Joint Vitality, created from 14 Chinese herbs and mixed with collagen and coconut powder, is traditionally used to support the joints and promote recovery. This formula will change the way you work out, whether you're a past athlete who over-trained and under-nourished, or your joints are just aging and no longer able to recover as quickly as your younger days.
Complemented with cinnamon, vanilla, and cocoa, simply add two scoops of Joint Vitality to your morning coffee every morning for more mobility, support, and flexibility -- especially in your lower back and knees.
Care Consideration: Just a reminder that the above information is not a substitute for medical care and is not a substitute for medical advice or recommendations from a healthcare provider. This information is not intended to treat, mitigate or cure any disease. That said, we encourage you to connect with an Acupuncturist in your community to learn more about this and other Traditional Chinese Medicine options. If you’ve got questions about Chinese herbal medicine or getting started with an Acupuncturist, feel free to connect with us on hello@mydaolabs.com.
